2009 was a pretty big year for Masthead Studios and their upcoming sci-fi post-apocalyptic MMOG, Earthrise. The team has been working hard in preparation for its launch in the second quarter of this year. Ten Ton Hammer caught up with Atanas Atanasov, CEO of Masthead Studios, to see where the game was in terms of development. We spoke a little about the combat and crafting systems, the art and technical advancement, and some of the challenges and highlights of the last 12 months of development.

The last year brought a lot of changes to the Earthrise combat system. Our highest priority has always been stripping away any element that could potentially slow down the pace of combat or cause frustration in internal testing, as well as making sure combat is as straightforward and dynamic as possible. The main goal is to provide maximum fluidity and intense action through fast paced animation and responsive controls.